Latest news with #GeorgeBrauchler
CBS News
08-08-2025
- CBS News
District attorney says most crime in his Denver suburb is committed by "outsiders"
Crime is trending down across the Denver metro area, but one district attorney wants to talk about where the crime in his community is coming from. "We are being victimized in big numbers by people who don't live here," said George Brauchler, district attorney for Colorado's 23rd Judicial District, which covers Douglas, Elbert and Lincoln counties. Six months into the judicial district's existence, Brauchler and other Douglas County officials are taking a closer look at what kind of crime the region has seen. "Downstairs in my jail, the inmates that are currently in my custody, 70% of those inmates do not reside in Douglas County. That's a huge number," said Douglas County Sheriff Darren Weekly. According to Community Justice Services data, only 26.6% of those arrested in Douglas County between June of last year and May of this year live in the county. Twenty-five percent are from Denver and 19% from Aurora. "The bulk of our crime is coming from north of us," Brauchler said. "We are being taxed by other people by paying to take care of the crimes they come down here to commit against our community." The data shows 44% of those defendants were on parole, probation, bond, or summons at the time of arrest, which Brauchler says means the checks in the judicial system are not working. "We are being victimized by outsiders, and the system is failing to protect us from crime," Brauchler said. Brauchler is calling on neighboring counties to share their crime data, and approaches to law enforcement. "I really would like to ask Denver, what percentage of your crime is committed by Douglas County residents, because my guess is it ain't 25%. Somewhere along the line here, we're going to have to have a conversation about how you address the fact that one population comes down to victimize another, and how to make that right," Brauchler said. A spokesperson for the Denver Mayor's Office said: "In our experience, criminals generally don't care too much about county lines. We regularly work with our neighbors to make our cities and communities safer and will continue to do so. Denver is laser-focused on reducing crime, as evidenced by the homicide rate experiencing the sharpest decline of any large city in the country. These successes are felt across the Metro and state." An Aurora spokesperson told CBS Colorado: "Aurora Police maintains an online transparency portal which includes updated crime statistics. It is updated weekly. As of today, overall crime in Aurora is down 30.2% YTD. Aurora's data cover crimes that occurred in Aurora. The city does not maintain data of Aurora residents who may have committed crimes in other jurisdictions. The city, which includes the Aurora Police Department, has not heard directly from District Attorney Brauchler in this regard. Aurora, the third-largest city in Colorado, sits in three counties, Adams, Arapahoe and Douglas, and values its relationship with each." Weekly says crime is down in his jurisdiction too. "Burglary is down 42%, motor vehicle theft down 24%, trespasses to vehicles, so vehicle break-ins down 31%, forcible rape down 34%, and property crimes like vandalism are down 24%. These are not small wins. We are talking about hundreds of people that are not being victimized," Weekly said. He attributes the reduction largely to the technology the office uses, including drones, Flock cameras, and license plate readers, as well as the office's use of social media. "If you commit crimes in Douglas County, we will make you famous, because we will record and put out there your arrest," Weekly said. "If you can't or won't follow the law, go break it somewhere else," Brauchler said. Data from Brauchler's office shows that since his term began, 100% of those who pleaded guilty to motor vehicle theft or felony eluding served jail time. "If you come down here to victimize us, you should expect to be incarcerated," Brauchler said. "My best advice is, follow the law. My second best advice is: this map highlights the roads you can take to avoid this jurisdiction, because at the end of the day, the time spent in the car driving around us will be less than the time you spend in jail or prison." Weekly encourages everyone in Douglas County to make sure to lock their doors and use security cameras or light systems in their homes.
CBS News
01-08-2025
- CBS News
Colorado district attorney criticizes defense used by Jefferson County Sheriff's deputy in K9 attack of girl
A six-person jury in Douglas County on Thursday found a Jefferson County Sheriff's deputy not guilty of charges related to a department K-9 attack on a little girl and her father. Jeffco Sheriff's Deputy Zachary Oliver was found not guilty on misdemeanor charges of harboring a dangerous job. The verdict left 23rd Judicial District Attorney George Brauchler angered over the defense used. "Nobody else interprets it that way. No other sheriff's office that I'm aware of does it that way. I love law enforcement. I respect them, I fight for them. This is a character flaw. This is a failure of leadership in this organization to produce this result." The dog, a Belgian Malinois, was assigned to Deputy Oliver as a handler after his previous dog was killed in the line of duty. That meant the dog named Ragnar would live with Oliver, who has a home in Castle Rock. Last August, while Oliver was inside the home last August, when the dog escaped its enclosure outside and vaulted a fence to a little girl's birthday party next door. The dog attacked a ball, two-year-old Lilly Dean, and then her father, Nicholas Dean, as he tried to protect his daughter. Nicholas Dean was fond of law enforcement, said the family's civil attorney Dagny Van Der Jagt. "Today was definitely a turning point for him. Just the disappointment that he experienced with his family. The lack of responsibility and accountability on the other side." Oliver's defense referred to a section of Colorado law that grants protection to law enforcement for the actions of K-9s acting in the capacity of their duties. "And so the sheriff's deputy says, well, wait a minute. At the time, the dog got away. I was inside cleaning urine out of his kennel, and that is the performance of my duties, and therefore I should be granted immunity from prosecution. No joke," said Brauchler. "Jefferson County Sheriff's leadership allowed two of their employees to come, presumably on a taxpayer dime, and came down and testified that yes, we have a contract with the canine handler to do certain things, and thus things that he does like caring for the dog are performance of duties." Van Der Jagt said the Jefferson County Sheriff's Office had changed its position on what happened from the time after the attack in August of last year, "The Jefferson County Sheriff's Office would say we will take care of the family. Those are the statements they would say publicly this was an off-duty police officer. And all of a sudden it's an on-duty police officer at all times." She is working on a lawsuit, not yet filed, for Nicholas Dean and family. "This is an extremely traumatic event for him and for the entire family, and they still suffer the consequences not only physically, but mentally." Lilly, who has now turned three since the attack, says Van Der Jagt has a fear of all kinds of animals. Van Der Jagt believes the move by the sheriff's office to back up Oliver's defense means the dog's actions occurred while it was under department responsibility. "I guess for our civil purposes, they make a statement that the canine was on duty and so was the officer, then there's an admission to liability." Brauchler maintains that it may be time to review the law if it is going to be applied in this way. "That just can't be how the law works. I mean nobody. Nobody in my position has been a better cheerleader and defender of law enforcement than I have. But this right here is an act of gutlessness, a lack of courage and accountability, and I'm pretty incensed by this… This dog could have killed the two-year-old, killed the two-year-old's twin, killed the mom, killed the dad. Hell killed anyone who tried to stop it from killing. And this guy and the department sound like they'd shrug it off as well. You know. He was cleaning up the dog's urine at the time," said Brauchler. The sheriff's office declined to comment on Brauchler's remarks on the case. The dog, Ragnar, is still with Deputy Oliver, even as he works. An internal investigation known as a bite review is not yet complete because the department was awaiting completion of the misdemeanor case against Oliver, said JeffCo Sheriff spokeswoman Karlyn Tilley. The dog is not allowed out of the vehicle in any official capacity, explained Tilley. Oliver is resigning from the department and leaving within a couple of weeks to move out of state. Tilley says Oliver will not have the option to keep the dog, which is the property of the department. What will happen with the dog is not yet decided, but Tilley said, "He will not be a working dog for us anymore."
Yahoo
14-06-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
District attorney and rally organizer warn against misconduct
PARKER, Colo. (KDVR) — The 'No Kings' protest in Parker is set to go on, even after the town discouraged the event due to resources already being used for the Parker Days Festival taking place on Saturday, too. Now, law enforcement is warning protestors to keep things peaceful if they want to stay out of trouble. Organizers of the No Kings protest in Parker are expecting the best on Saturday, but prosecutors in the area want them to know they are prepared for the worst. Two dogs disappear, were found after being killed according to Larimer County family 'Seeing how some of these protests have turned into arrests in Denver, Seattle, Portland. The fact that we've already got law enforcement and public services spread extremely thin for a town of 50,000 that will over this weekend see 350,000 people come through, the risk there is for something bad to happen,' said District Attorney George Brauchler of the 23rd Judicial District. The district attorney said he welcomes peaceful protestors looking to take part in the No Kings protest in Parker on Saturday. He is warning people who may be coming from outside the community, they will be prosecuted if they break the law. 'Parker is going to do its best to make sure that they are protected and that they are safe with their thin resources. But I can promise you in the discussions that I've had, if those things turn into lawlessness, yes, law enforcement will then have to leave Parker Days, leaving that crowd to be less safe in order to come down and take care of the criminality,' said Brauchler. 'I'm serious about this part: if you put yourself in a position to come down here and do something other than peacefully protest, least don't show up in court and expect some sense of dismissal, or 'hey we understand that you're super emotional about this.' I will not. You do your best to be peaceful as a protester, and we'll have no issues at all. You step over that line, try to shut down a road, fight with the cops, fight with each other, it doesn't matter. We have plenty of room in the jail.' Many protestors may not be coming from other areas. Dozens of these protests are taking place across the state. Organizers said they are expecting a good-sized crowd, but they are not anticipating chaos. The area organizer is relieved that leaders are committed to getting bad actors. 'We have heard the same rumor. And I'm really relieved that he is aware of it because I think maybe we might be afforded some kind of police protection for our rally. What I heard was that outside, maybe like Proud Boys and groups like that, may infiltrate our rallies and perpetrate violence on the police to try to make it look like we are a violent demonstration,' said No Kings Parker Organizer Carolyn Williamson. 'I've put the fear of God into these people: we're going to dot every 'I' and cross every 'T'. We do not want to make an enemy of Parker because we want to do more peaceful rallies. It's our constitutional right, and that's what's going to happen tomorrow: a peaceful, lawful rally.' Organizers said they also have safety plans in place if bad actors do show up. They will go over the details with attendees before they get started Saturday morning. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
CBS News
14-06-2025
- Politics
- CBS News
Colorado "No Kings" protest expected to attract 1000+ in Castle Rock
This Saturday, June 14, hundreds of "No Kings" rallies are expected to take place across the country, including in Douglas County, Colorado. A thousand people are expected to fill the upper lot of the Douglas County Fairgrounds at 2:30 p.m. Saturday. The group will march down Plum Creek Parkway, turn on Perry Street, and continue to Festival Park. CBS The organizer expects it to be one of the largest demonstrations she's seen in the county and says the group will be protesting both federal policy and the local "home rule" effort. "We're seeing our constitutional freedoms being chipped away at little by little," said organizer Heidi Bonilla. "There's a lot of people that are saying, 'This isn't okay.' Wherever you sit on the political spectrum, this isn't okay." Bonilla says the No Kings protest she's organizing in Castle Rock is drawing in people from both sides of the aisle. "I actually have my phone going off every couple of minutes with a new sign-up to this protest," Bonilla said. CBS But as she prepares to march with hundreds of her neighbors, District Attorney George Brauchler has a warning. "For those people that think they're gonna come down to Douglas County and they're gonna be treated like this is Denver, if they wanna step over the line and violate the laws, you picked the wrong county," said Brauchler. "We're not bussing people down from Denver. I just want to make that very clear. We're Douglas County residents. We live here," Bonilla said. "We're not trying to make problems in Douglas County. We're trying to keep this county and this country a beautiful place to live." Bonilla is working with Castle Rock police to make sure the protest stays safe. "We are not going to tolerate any kind of harassment, any kind of violence, to each other, to the police, to anything. That will not be tolerated tomorrow," Bonilla said. The Town of Castle Rock shared the following statement: "Organizers have been in contact with our Police Department regarding their plan to walk on Town sidewalks, and CRPD is preparing accordingly." There will be a safety table on site, and volunteers will ensure marchers obey traffic laws. Bonilla says they will have water to offer, but she recommends attendees bring water to stay hydrated on the hot day, as well as sunscreen and walking shoes. "This is peaceful, and this is lawful. My little boy is going to be here. I have a 15-month-old, and he will be with me tomorrow. We're not going to make this violent," Bonilla said. For Bonilla, the event is about preserving a future for her children. "I'm doing this for him, and someday I want to be able to look him in the eyes and say, 'I fought as hard as I could, I did everything I could do, to make sure that you grew up in a free country,'" Bonilla said. A "No Kings" rally in Parker will also take place Saturday, starting at 10 a.m., despite being told by the town they could not hold the event because it coincided with Parker Days. The organizer says they plan to stand their ground and peacefully protest at intersections on Parker Road, skipping Main Street and the festival.
Fox News
03-06-2025
- General
- Fox News
Sanctuary policies in deep-blue Colorado led to terror attack, says local DA
Permissive laws in deep blue Colorado created an environment in which last weekend's antisemitic attack could occur, a local district attorney told Fox News Digital. In an interview with Fox News Digital, George Brauchler, a Republican district attorney for Colorado's 23rd district, said that the state government, which is dominated by Democrats, has been intentionally creating a lax, sanctuary-type environment regarding immigration enforcement. This, he said, emboldens illegals, such as Mohamed Sabry Soliman, the suspect accused of firebombing pro-Israel activists on Sunday, to act with impunity. A DHS spokeswoman has said Soliman, an Egyptian national, was living in the country illegally at the time of the attack. He entered the United States in August 2022 with a visa that expired in February 2023, the spokeswoman said, noting he applied for asylum during that time. Soliman allegedly injured eight adults, including a victim who was 88 years old, at an outdoor mall in Boulder, according to the FBI. The suspect was witnessed shouting "Free Palestine" during the attack and using a makeshift flamethrower to target the crowd, the FBI said. Police said the victims were hospitalized with burn wounds. They had been participating in a Run for Their Lives protest, which, according to the Anti-Defamation League, is a weekly event attended by members of the Jewish community to support hostages held in Gaza by Hamas terrorists. Discussing the brazen attack, Brauchler said: "When you have taken the ongoing steps that our state government has taken over the past many years to identify yourself to everyone, both citizen and noncitizen alike, that you are a sanctuary state - and it doesn't matter if they ever say those words, what matters is the policies in place - and when you had put local law enforcement on its heels, when it comes to trying to coordinate with immigration enforcement authorities, you create an environment where someone feels like visa or no visa, I can stay here and do whatever I want, whether it's to try to find a job off the books or to plan for a terrorist act against Jews up in Boulder." In response to the attack, Brauchler said he expects the Trump administration may assume control of the case and "make an example" of the perpetrator. "In the past, you would see some deference by the federal government to local prosecutors who showed an interest in prosecuting high-profile cases," he said. "But in this day and age, with illegal immigration being an issue, with the anti-Semitic terrorist acts being an issue, I can foresee President Trump and Attorney General Pam Bondi saying, 'We're taking this case, we're going to use every tool at our disposal, we're going to highlight this prosecution, we're going to make an example of this guy, and we're going to send a message.'" Brauchler said that though "we've seen antisemitic stuff before out here, never in my recollection at this scale or this brazenly having somebody do this." "My worry is if we don't make a big, loud, powerful statement sooner rather than later, these things are going to start to repeat themselves, not just here, but everywhere," he said. "This is another horrific blemish on a state that I have known as home my entire life," he went on, adding that "because of the powers that be and the policies that have been put in place over the last 10 or 15 years, I don't recognize Colorado anymore." "It's hard to imagine, and it's just another black eye for our state that we didn't need," he said.
